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CONTENTS:
GREEN NOODLE MEDLEY (recipe)
MAMA'S GREEN CABBAGE SLAW (recipe)
LENTIL STUFFED COLLARD GREENS (recipe)
BEAN STEWS AND VRG (information)
GARBANZO BEAN STEW (recipe)
NAVY BEAN STEW (recipe)
PURPLE BABY POTATOES (information)
LATINO SPRINGTIME NEW POTATO SALAD (recipe)
HI ARBOR COOKBOOK
Hello and welcome back to Hi Arbor. Today is St. Patrick's
Day, or just a day very close to spring. Either way, the color green marks today's day of
celebration. My mother has generously provided three
wonderful green-themed recipes. Thank you, Mom! The next two recipes are "my version" recipes created with help from VRG recipes. Then there is a short introduction to baby purple potatoes.
I hope each of you will find something here you enjoy. If you have any recipes, ideas or information, please send them to
hiarbornews@aol.com. The next issue of this newsletter will go out on April 21, 2005.
Have a nice holiday and a beautiful spring.
Take care.
Roxanne
hiarbornews@aol.com
Here are three tasty recipes from my mom:
GREEN NOODLE MEDLEY Makes 4-6 generous servings
3 C extra wide (or your choice) egg noodles cooked al dente (spinach noodles
may be used if desired)
¼ C olive oil, preferably extra virgin
¼ C butter or margarine (or substitute)
2 large cloves of garlic chopped fine
4-6 medium-large fresh mushrooms washed and sliced
1 10 oz carton of frozen spinach, leaf or chopped, thawed and drained
1/2 C grape tomatoes
1 T fresh parsley chopped medium
1 t basil or Italian seasoning
Freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste
Parmesan cheese substitute
Melt butter in oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and
sauté lightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan leaving butter-oil mixture and set aside.
Add garlic to pan and sauté about 4 minutes until fragrant. Add spinach and cook until just tender. Add remaining ingredients, including mushrooms, except Parmesan cheese, tossing with noodles to combine thoroughly. Heat just enough to be hot through.
Remove portions to warm plates or bowls, sprinkle with Parmesan and enjoy.
Note: If a saucier mixture is preferred, a combination of 1 cup of vegetable broth or bouillon and 1 tablespoon of corn starch simmered in small saucepan until thickened, may be added.
MAMA'S GREEN CABBAGE SLAW Serves 6-8 medium portions
½ medium head green cabbage shredded medium-fine
1 carrot, scraped, large grate
2 T onion large grate
1-1/2 t sugar
1/3 C Miracle Whip
1/3 C sour cream substitute
¼ t celery seed
1 t lemon juice or vinegar
1 t Coleman's dry mustard (for zestier slaw, add another ½ teaspoon)
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients well in a large either glass or stainless bowl. Refrigerate at least 2 hours for flavors to blend.
LENTIL STUFFED COLLARD GREENS Serves 4
1 bunch fresh collard greens*
1 C dried lentils
½ medium onion chopped medium
2 large cloves garlic chopped fine or pressed
½ C celery chopped medium
½ C chopped fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried
½ t dried basil
1 T vegetable flakes or ½ C frozen mixed vegetables
3 vegetable bouillon cubes or 3-1/2 cups of vegetable broth
Black pepper to taste and salt if desired. The bouillon cubes may add enough
salt, so add any additional salt at the end of cooking lentils.
1 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes
Grated Parmesan cheese substitute (optional)
FOR THE LENTILS:
Carefully pick over lentils, removing any bad ones, mud or rocks. Wash well in cold water. You needn't soak lentils.
Place the lentils in a medium saucepan and add 2-1/2 cups of water and 2 of the bouillon cubes or add 2-1/2 cups of the vegetable broth. Add the onion, garlic, celery, parsley, basil, vegetable flakes and pepper and cook uncovered over medium-low heat until tender, about an hour. After about 30 minutes of cooking, add half the can of tomatoes, reserving the other half for later use. If you are using frozen mixed vegetables, add these with the tomatoes. This may delay a little the lentils getting tender.
If the liquid boils down too low too fast, just add a little water as needed and/or cover. Bear in mind that the lentils when done should be of a thick consistency such that they may be easily spooned into the collard leaves much like stuffing for a turkey. Set aside to cool slightly or refrigerate for later use.
FOR THE GREENS:
Thoroughly wash collard greens in cool water to remove any sand or dirt and
set aside for other purposes any leaves not intact for stuffing. Cut off the thick
stems up to the bottom of the leaves. The stems and pieces can be boiled in
salted water and added to soups, stews and salads or served with butter as a
side dish if desired.
Blanch leaves in slightly salted boiling water in a shallow skillet just long enough for them to be limp to roll up well, usually a minute or two. Do NOT overcook or they will tear easily when trying to roll them. It's best to do 2 or 3 leaves at a time to keep water at boiling temperature.
With larger leaves, after blanching, sometimes it's best to cut away in a
triangular sliver, an inch or two of the stem from the leaf to make it easier to
roll. Your leaves are now ready for stuffing or may be put in a plastic bag and
refrigerated for stuffing later.
FOR THE STUFFED ROLL-UPS:
Laying each leaf out on a flat surface or large plate, near the
stem end (bottom) of the leaf, spoon out 1 to 3 portions of lentils, depending on the size of the leaf. If the stem-sliver has been removed, overlap the two ends and start rolling until lentils are totally covered, about half the leaf, then fold in both ends and continue rolling.
Place the rolls as completed, end of leaf down, in a casserole or baking pan with sides. When all rolls are in the pan, add a mixture of 1 cup of broth or bouillon and the remaining canned tomatoes. Sprinkle lightly with the Parmesan cheese substitute, cover tightly with foil and place in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for an hour.
Note: Any unused lentil stuffing can be made into a soup or stew by adding desired broth or bouillon. A variation of this recipe is to add a cup of cooked rice to the lentils before stuffing. These freeze well with a little baking pan juice.
*Some care should be exercised in choosing the bunch of collard
greens suitable for this recipe. The larger leaves tend to
be a little tougher, but easier to stuff.
GARBANZO BEAN STEW Serves 2-4
1 Tablespoon oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup kernel corn
1/3-1/2 cup spinach
1 Tablespoon vegetable flakes
1 teaspoon basil
salt and cayenne pepper to taste
1 15.5-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained
water, to desired soupiness
1 scant handful egg noodles
Sauté onion in oil until tender. Add garlic, carrot and tomatoes. Add garbanzo beans and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add vegetable flakes, cayenne pepper, basil, corn and egg noodles. Let simmer for 15 minutes. Add spinach and salt and let heat for 5 more minutes.
Notes: The vegetable flakes I used are large, dehydrated pieces of vegetable. I used them as a flavor enhancer.
I used canned spinach and didn't want to cook it a long time. Fresh or frozen spinach can be added with the seasonings, corn and egg noodles.
NAVY BEAN STEW Serves 2-4
1 Tablespoon oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
3 Roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped
1/4-1/2 cup frozen green beans
1 large potato, peeled and chopped
1 16-ounce can navy beans, drained and rinsed
water, to desired consistency
1 teaspoon basil
salt and black pepper to taste
Sauté onion in oil until soft. Add garlic then the tomatoes.
Sauté on low for a few minutes. Add beans and water to desired consistency. Add basil and black pepper and stir. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add green beans and potatoes, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add salt, stir and serve.
PURPLE BABY POTATOES
"The blue or purple potato is used a lot throughout Mexico, particularly in the South. It is increasingly becoming available in markets here in the US."
quoted from: http://mexicanfood.about.com/b/a/071009.htm
Not long ago, while grocery shopping with a friend, she showed me a package of Melissa's Purple Baby Potatoes. I bought them to try and then write about them here. Took them home, boiled them and bit into one. Was surprised to see that the potato was purple all the way through. The purple potato emits a slight floral fragrance as it cooks, but tastes like a potato and has a good flavor.
www.melissas.com
I could not find information specifically explaining the origins of the purple potato. At the web site below there is part one of the history of the potato where it is mentioned that "Marie-Antoinette wore the purple potato blossom in her hair." I don't know if that means a potato blossom that is purple or if it means that she wore the blossom from a plant that grew purple potatoes.
http://www.history-magazine.com/potato.html
"This new potato salad is an excellent way to greet the spring,
particularly if you planted potatoes late last autumn. They are probably just beginning to produce now and if you carefully dig down you will find tiny little new potatoes, so sweet, so fresh and so tender. I like to make this salad with a mixture of white, yellow, red and purple new potatoes."
LATINO SPRINGTIME NEW POTATO SALAD Serves 4 to 6
4 to 5 cups new potatoes (boiled until just tender)
1 medium sweet purple onion, chopped
2 green onions, chopped 3 to 4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 cups favorite fresh salsa
salt and fresh coarse ground black pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients together, adjust seasonings and leave sit for at least an
hour before serving.
Found the recipe at: http://mexicanfood.about.com/b/a/071014.htm
HI ARBOR COOKBOOK
The Hi Arbor cookbook, "Take This Veggie And Stuff It", has
recipes for stuffing 21 vegetables from artichokes to
zucchini, and if you don't know how to stuff an artichoke, the
book explains. There are 87 recipes, some of which have
seafood but most are vegetarian. It's got lists of substitutions
and
measurements and equivalents. Herbs and seasonings are defined
and there is a glossary of cooking terms in addition to a
list of how much of a fresh spice is needed versus the same
spice in a dry form.
"Take This Veggie And Stuff It" costs $12.50 per copy plus $2.50
for
shipping and handling, and it can be ordered from Hi Arbor,
Inc.; P. O.
Box 265; Oceanville, NJ 08231. Or from the web address below.
Click here to order Hi Arbor's
Take This
Veggie and Stuff It!
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